R.E.M. released its first single—"Radio Free Europe"—in 1981 on the independent record label Hib-Tone. The single was followed by the Chronic Town EP in 1982, the band's first release on I.R.S. Records. In 1983, the group released its critically acclaimed debut album, Murmur, and built its reputation over the next few years through subsequent releases, constant touring, and the support of college radio. Following years of underground success, R.E.M. achieved a mainstream hit in 1987 with the single "The One I Love". The group signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1988, and began to espouse political and environmental concerns while playing large arenas worldwide.
By the early 1990s, when alternative rock began to enter the mainstream, R.E.M. was viewed by subsequent acts such as Nirvana and Pavement as a pioneer of the genre. The band released its two most commercially successful albums, Out of Time (1991) and Automatic for the People (1992), which veered from the band's established sound and catapulted it to international fame. R.E.M.'s 1994 release, Monster, was a return to a more rock-oriented sound, but still continued its run of success. The band began its first tour in six years to support the album; the tour was marred by medical emergencies suffered by three of the band members.
In 1996, R.E.M. re-signed with Warner Bros. for a reported US$80 million, at the time the most expensive recording contract in history. Its 1996 release, New Adventures in Hi-Fi, though critically acclaimed, fared worse commercially than its predecessors. The following year, Bill Berry left the band, while Stipe, Buck, and Mills continued the group as a trio. Through some changes in musical style, the band continued its career into the next decade with mixed critical and commercial success, despite having sold more than 85 million records worldwide and becoming one of the world's best-selling music artists. In 2007, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in their first year of eligibility. R.E.M. disbanded amicably in September 2011, announcing the split on its website.
In January 1980, Michael Stipe met Peter Buck in Wuxtry Records, the Athens record store where Buck worked. The pair discovered that they shared similar tastes in music, particularly in punk rock and protopunk artists like Patti Smith, Television, and the Velvet Underground. Stipe said, "It turns out that I was buying all the records that [Buck] was saving for himself." Through mutual friend Kathleen O'Brien, Stipe and Buck then met fellow University of Georgia students Mike Mills and Bill Berry, who had played music together since high school and lived together in Georgia. The quartet agreed to collaborate on several songs; Stipe later commented that "there was never any grand plan behind any of it". Their still-unnamed band spent a few months rehearsing in a deconsecrated Episcopal church in Athens, and played its first show on April 5, 1980, supporting the Side Effects at O'Brien's birthday party held in the same church, performing a mix of originals and 1960s and 1970s covers. After considering Twisted Kites, Cans of Piss, and Negro Eyes, the band settled on "R.E.M." (which is an initialism for rapid eye movement, the dream stage of sleep), which Stipe selected at random from a dictionary.
The band members eventually dropped out of school to focus on their developing group. They found a manager in Jefferson Holt, a record store clerk who was so impressed by an R.E.M. performance in his hometown of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, that he moved to Athens. R.E.M.'s success was almost immediate in Athens and surrounding areas; the band drew progressively larger crowds for shows, which caused some resentment in the Athens music scene. Over the next year and a half, R.E.M. toured throughout the Southern United States. Touring was arduous because a touring circuit for alternative rock bands did not then exist. The group toured in an old blue van driven by Holt, and lived on a food allowance of $2 each per day.
R.E.M. was pivotal in the creation and development of the alternative rock genre. AllMusic stated, "R.E.M. mark the point when post-punk turned into alternative rock." In the early 1980s, the musical style of R.E.M. stood in contrast to the post-punk and new wave genres that had preceded it. Music journalist Simon Reynolds noted that the post-punk movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s "had taken whole swaths of music off the menu", particularly that of the 1960s, and that "After postpunk's demystification and New Pop's schematics, it felt liberating to listen to music rooted in mystical awe and blissed-out surrender." Reynolds declared R.E.M., a band that recalled the music of the 1960s with its "plangent guitar chimes and folk-styled vocals" and who "wistfully and abstractly conjured visions and new frontiers for America", one of "the two most important alt-rock bands of the day." With the release of Murmur, R.E.M. had the most impact musically and commercially of the developing alternative genre's early groups, leaving in its wake a number of jangle pop followers.
R.E.M.'s early breakthrough success served as an inspiration for other alternative bands. Spin referred to the "R.E.M. model"—career decisions that R.E.M. made which set guidelines for other underground artists to follow in their own careers. Spin's Charles Aaron wrote that by 1985, "They'd shown how far an underground, punk-inspired rock band could go within the industry without whoring out its artistic integrity in any obvious way. They'd figured out how to buy in, not sellout-in other words, they'd achieved the American Bohemian Dream." Steve Wynn of Dream Syndicate said, "They invented a whole new ballgame for all of the other bands to follow whether it was Sonic Youth or the Replacements or Nirvana or Butthole Surfers. R.E.M. staked the claim. Musically, the bands did different things, but R.E.M. was first to show us you can be big and still be cool." Biographer David Buckley stated that between 1991 and 1994, a period that saw the band sell an estimated 30 million albums, R.E.M. "asserted themselves as rivals to U2 for the title of biggest rock band in the world." Over the course of its career, the band has sold over 85 million records worldwide.
Alternative bands such as Nirvana, Pavement, Radiohead, Coldplay, Pearl Jam (the band's vocalist Eddie Vedder inducted R.E.M. into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), and Live, have drawn inspiration from R.E.M.'s music. "When I was 15 years old in Richmond, Virginia, they were a very important part of my life," Pavement's Bob Nastanovich said, "as they were for all the members of our band." Pavement's contribution to the No Alternative compilation (1993) was "Unseen Power of the Picket Fence", a song about R.E.M.'s early days. Local H, according to the band's Twitter account, created their name by combining two R.E.M. songs: "Oddfellows Local 151" and "Swan Swan H". Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was a fan of R.E.M., and had unfulfilled plans to collaborate on a musical project with Stipe. Cobain told Rolling Stone in an interview earlier that year, "I don’t know how that band does what they do. God, they’re the greatest. They've dealt with their success like saints, and they keep delivering great music."
During his show at the 40 Watt Club in October 2018, Johnny Marr said: "As a British musician coming out of the indie scene in the early '80s, which I definitely am and am proud to have been, I can't miss this opportunity to acknowledge and pay my respects and honor the guys who put this town on the map for us in England. I'm talking about my comrades in guitar music, R.E.M. The Smiths really respected R.E.M. We had to keep an eye on what those guys were up to. It's an interesting thing for me, as a British musician, and all those guys as British musicians, to come to this place and play for you guys, knowing that it's the roots of Mike Mills and Bill Berry and Michael Stipe and my good friend Peter Buck."
GREEN
R.E.M. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Look at my hands
They've found some surplus cheaper hands
Rubbing palms and pick and choose
Who will they choose?
Here is the news
Look at that building
Haloed and whitewashed
Gone to find a cheaper hand
He'll offer a pound
Offer a pound
Green grow the rushes go
Green grow the rushes go
Green grow the rushes go
The compass points the workers home
Pay for your freedom
Or find another gate
Guilt by associate
The rushes wilted a long time ago
Guilty as you go
Stay off that highway
Word is, it's not so safe
The grasses that hide the greenback
The amber waves of gain again
The amber waves of grain
Green grow the rushes go
Green grow the rushes go
Green grow the rushes go
The compass points the workers home
La-la-la la la lye
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
The lyrics to R.E.M’s “Green Grow The Rushes” are somewhat obscure and can be interpreted in many ways. However, a common interpretation is that the song is a commentary on workers’ rights and the exploitation of cheap labor. The use of the wheelbarrow and surplus hands as metaphors signify labor as a commodity that can easily be replaced when cheaper or more convenient options become available. The line “pay for your freedom or find another gate” seems to suggest that workers are forced to choose between being exploited or being unemployed, with the latter being a form of economic imprisonment. The rush of the title symbolizes the workers’ journey to find better living and working conditions, but it has long since wilted away.
The second half of the song deals with the dangers of capitalism and the illusion of freedom. The highway is seen as a dangerous place where people can easily lose their lives or be trapped in debt. The amber waves of gain, a play on the phrase “amber waves of grain,” signify the illusion of prosperity that capitalism promises but ultimately fails to deliver. The chorus of “green grow the rushes go” represents the hope for a better tomorrow, the desire to grow and prosper, but, ultimately, the compass points the workers home, back to their starting point without any real progress made.
This interpretation may be seen as political and critical of capitalist society. However, it can also apply to personal struggles or the struggles of any marginalized or exploited group. The use of metaphors and cryptic lyrics allows the listener to interpret the song in their own way, which is one of the reasons why R.E.M. was so popular with alternative rock fans.
Line by Line Meaning
The wheelbarrow's fallen
Something previously in motion has come to a stop
Look at my hands
Drawing attention to something important
They've found some surplus cheaper hands
The work has been outsourced to somewhere with cheaper labor
Rubbing palms and pick and choose
Negotiating and selecting who to work with
Who will they choose?
Speculating on the decision-making process
Here is the news
Introducing a new topic or development
Look at that building
Pointing out something noteworthy
Look at this man
Directing attention to someone
Haloed and whitewashed
Appearing virtuous or blameless
Gone to find a cheaper hand
Going somewhere with less expensive labor
He'll offer a pound
Negotiating or making an offer
Offer a pound
Reiterating the offer that was just made
Green grow the rushes go
An old folk song upon which the lyrics are based
The compass points the workers home
The desire to return home after a long day of work
Pay for your freedom
The cost of achieving independence or leaving a work situation
Or find another gate
Finding an alternate route or means of achieving freedom
Guilt by associate
Being held responsible for the actions of others
The rushes wilted a long time ago
An allusion to the past, and how things have changed
Guilty as you go
The idea that there is no escaping guilt or responsibility
Stay off that highway
Avoiding something dangerous or risky
Word is, it's not so safe
Hearing bad news or rumors about a situation
The grasses that hide the greenback
The money or wealth that is obscured or hidden
The amber waves of gain again
The repetition of past success or prosperity
The amber waves of grain
Referring to the fields of cereal crops that are characteristic of American farmland
La-la-la la la lye
A nonsensical interlude, possibly indicating a break in the narrative
La-la-la la la lye (green grow the rushes go)
Repeating the chorus of the song
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Michael Mills, Michael Stipe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@timburr4453
1988-1994 produced some unbelievable music
@TheTrouserPuppetsOfficial
Yep
@alejandraloyola7776
R.E.M. one of many memories watching Mtv when Mtv was mostly music videos.
@michaelstandridge2159
Few things more endearing to me in this world than watching Stipe dance. Always makes me laugh in a good way. He didn’t care. Always loved that about the band!
@leoguerra4516
He DIDN'T
@kurtcobainmylove2074
@@leoguerra4516 What...?
@leo7leo
I emulate that every time I’m sad. Put this song up, and dance to it like Mike. The puerile Problems of daily life vanishes. ✅🙏
@brianmurphy8232
I loved how this video was aired in Canada completely uncensored. It was very iconic at the time.
@dariowestern
Very much. And thanks to Gwen Jacobs who fought for girls and women's rights to go topless in public in Canada and won her case in court for it too. Not many women do it, but still it's legal.
@desperatemohammedantheworl5833
@@dariowestern Here in the UK, well England and Wales anyway, it's legal for anyone to go naked in public as no one has ever got around to passing a law which banned it. Not that many people take advantage of this.